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Milestone: 'Crossing
Jordan'
Milestone: 'Crossing
Jordan'
In reaching the
100-episode mark, 'Crossing Jordan' has made
millions of the living take notice of the dead.
By Ray Richmond
There's something to be
said for never being the "it" show of the moment. Rare
is the long-running program that somehow bolts straight
from the gate to No. 1 and manages to last 100 episodes.
And in the case of NBC's "Crossing Jordan," which airs
its 100th episode (and Season 5 finale) on May 7, the
maxim rings true. The crime drama starring Jill Hennessy
as feisty and mercurial Boston medical examiner Dr.
Jordan Cavanaugh has never gotten the respect,
recognition or awards it deserves -- and these days, it
stands even more obscured in the colossal shadow of the
hit its been airing opposite on Sunday nights this
season: ABC's white-hot "Grey's Anatomy."
"I definitely feel as though we've never gotten our
due," admits Hennessy, who first came to NBC viewers'
attention in the mid-1990s as green assistant district
attorney Claire Kincaid on fellow NBC procedural (and
NBC Universal Television Studio stablemate) "Law &
Order."
She adds, "Our acting ensemble has never been
acknowledged, and we've got some of the best performers
on TV. Our writing, too, is very unique. The thing is,
we started out our first year as the No. 1 new drama in
the Nielsens. We got incredible reviews in the New York
Times and Washington Post out of the box. But then, I
guess we didn't maintain the cool factor. We're sort of
like the forgotten, high-achieving sibling. Not that I'm
really complaining."
In its first four seasons, "Jordan" has not received a
single Emmy, Golden Globe, Directors Guild of America or
Writers Guild award nomination, a trend expected to
continue during the current Season 5. Yet, ratings
remain consistent despite a small drop this year: With
the key demographic of adults ages 18-49, "Jordan"
averaged a 5.0 rating and 13 share in its first season
(2001-02), a 4.0/10 in its second, a 4.5/12 in its
third, a 4.0/10 in Season 4, and this season through
April 9, a 3.3/8. Its total viewer average has ranged
from 10.6 million-12.8 million weekly. To average 10.9
million viewers, as the show has this season against
"Anatomy," is itself noteworthy.
"Jordan" simply survives -- and does it very well.
By contrast, ABC's
"Alias" -- another hour with a strong female lead in
Jennifer Garner -- also premiered in the fall of 2001
and was immediately embraced as hip.
"Yeah, we've never been as buzzworthy as they were,"
admits "Jordan" creator and executive producer Tim Kring.
"But we've always had a little bit larger audience than
they have. Our following has always been very solid and
loyal. We've done extremely well while competing with
other forensic shows, like (CBS's) 'CSIs' and (Fox's)
'Bones.'"
And the audience continues to find "Jordan" despite a
hiccuping schedule that included a delayed third season
return (Hennessy was pregnant) and five weeks off the
air during the 2006 Olympic Games. "The audience has
been there through thick and thin," Hennessy points out.
"That core group that always manages to find us and tune
in has fed us all."
That "Jordan" is still doing a decent number against its
buzzed-about competition has particularly impressed NBC
Entertainment president Kevin Reilly.
"This is obviously a show that can perform no matter
when you put it on or where you put it," he says. "You
don't have too many established programs you can keep
around and plug in to fill a hole. That's why ... we're
bringing 'Crossing Jordan' back, possibly at midseason.
It's a valuable property to keep around."
Clearly, it also doesn't hurt that "Jordan" is produced
by NBC Universal; its in-house pedigree makes the annual
decision to bring it back a little bit easier.
Part of the series' success no doubt lies in its ability
to run without putting its titular character on the main
stage during every episode. From day one, "Jordan" has
emphasized personality and character, giving its
supporting cast -- which includes Miguel Ferrer as
Jordan's boss Dr. Garret Macy, Kathryn Hahn as grief
counselor Lily Lebowski, Ravi Kapoor as the colorfully
named Dr. Mahesh "Bug" Vijayaraghavensatanaryanamurthy,
Steve Valentine as British criminologist Dr. Nigel
Townsend, Jerry O'Connell as Detective Woody Hoyt and
recent addition Leslie Bibb as Boston Police Department
psychologist Tallulah "Lu" Simmons -- significant play
along the way.
"Because the procedural show has finally ceased to stand
as the be-all and end-all, we've been able to go even
deeper into exploring everyone's characters this season,
with big, sort of personal story arcs," says Kring, who
hopes to make NBC's schedule next fall with his new
drama "Heroes." "The rise of successful serialized
dramas like (Fox's) '24' (and ABC's) 'Desperate
Housewives' and 'Lost' has helped us by showing the
appetite viewers have to participate in a more ongoing
story line with the characters. But our show has always
emphasized character more than have others in our genre,
I think."
Of course, the show is called "Crossing Jordan," not
"Crossing Jordan and Her Co-Workers," which means the
real star pressure is on Hennessy.
Says Reilly, "Jill is a captivating star and a great
face of our network. I know it sounds corny and
repetitive, but this show really has a very happy set.
It's just an A+ unit. That in itself fuels the decision
to bring it back."
Co-star O'Connell made his Hollywood mark 20 years ago
in the feature film "Stand by Me," but he says he
matured as a performer on "Jordan" (where he signed on
for regular duty in the third season).
"Being able to play Woody -- this nerdy guy from
Wisconsin who slowly starts to become cool -- has taken
my acting to a whole new level," O'Connell says. "I've
been able to evolve from someone who mats his hair down
and wears jackets three inches too short in the arms to
Jordan's love interest."
Industry veteran Ferrer, who has been acting in
television and film for a quarter of a century, says he
is "enormously fortunate" to have a job on the same
series for five years with fellow castmates who "all
genuinely still like one another." He adds, "For the
most part, working on 'Crossing Jordan' has been an
utterly joyful experience."
From Ferrer's point of view, the only thing that would
improve the situation would be the ability to utter some
vulgarity here and there. "I feel like I act better when
I'm able to use profanity," he admits. "It'd be nice to
throw in a little f-word here and there. But honestly,
I'm just happy at this point of my life to be making a
TV show every week that I don't cringe at, that I'm
proud to show my friends and family. Flying somewhat
under the radar is fine by me."
As for being NBC's stalwart, stick-it-anywhere show,
Kring believes "Jordan" has survived precisely because
it hasn't flown above the media radar. "To a large
degree, when it comes to dealing with the network and
studio, it's better to suffer benign neglect than to
constantly be the object of their focus," he says.
"Everybody always wants the big hit, but the solid
performer like us is something every network needs to
shore up their schedule."
And the show hasn't always lingered in the background.
"Jordan" joined up with fellow NBC drama "Las Vegas" for
a pair of steamy crossover episodes, helping to keep it
visible and relevant, according to Kring. "They were
very difficult to write and produce," he says. "But the
ratings were terrific."
Hennessy would love for her show to garner more respect
both from critics and from voting members of the Academy
of Television Arts & Sciences and the Hollywood Foreign
Press Assn., but she'll happily take a show that's
reached 100 episodes in a time of such widespread
audience fragmentation and increasingly fickle viewer
tastes.
"You make a pilot, and it's like a wing and a prayer
just to make in onto the air," Hennessy says. "To have a
job in TV on a show that has so much dignity to it, so
much heart and warmth, well, it doesn't get any better
than this for an actor. We should all be over the moon
to be a part of this. I know I am."
Published May 05, 2006
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